Boogie Down (Me): Luther Played the Boogie (#5)

Tweet

Festivus for the rest of us! I’ve never seen an episode of Seinfeld, but I know about that. I know about boogie songs, too, which is what I’ve been giving you all month: half of them I chose for myself (these, which are in countdown order), and half I chose for Linda who suggested the countdown theme. Here’s today’s song, from me! #5: Luther Played the Boogie - Johnny Cash Luther Monroe Perkins, Jr. is the “Luther” in question. He was not a Lutheran luthier. Truth be told, he wasn’t a “great” guitarist, either. But for the sound that Johnny Cash gave the world in the 50s, he didn’t have to be. He was perfect for Cash and a sound that helped usher in rock and roll. As Cash said in this song, “A plain ol’ hillbilly band with a plain old country style” didn’t need Mark Knopfler back then. Cash actually sang the boogie woogie instead of Perkins playing it. (I don’t think any hillbilly band would break into Cab Calloway’s “Jumpin’ Jive” like the lyrics claim, but…) Luther Perkins died from burns sustained in a house fire when he fell asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand in 1968. He was 40. His influence is still felt in traditional country and roots music. Luther Played the Boogie Written by Johnny Cash Recorded by Johnny Cash Released as a single, 1959 In the strangest kind of way: